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Archive for the ‘Automotive Industry’ Category

Probably few people today have heard the song, “He’d Have to Get Under, Get Out and Get Under (to fix up his automobile) but it was an Al Jolson hit in the roaring 20?s. And its popularity was no doubt due to the fact that just about everyone then could relate to car problems.

However, mechanical problems are not the only ones caused by the evolution of the automobile. But in spite of all the problems, America soon became a nation dependent on cars. There are a plethora of suburbanites throughout the country who have no access to schools, stores, banks, and medical facilities, etc. unless they drive. In addition to all the other caps she wears, the modern mom is a chauffeur. She must ferry the kids to school, to practice, to games, to extra curricular activities, to parties, and then must drive to a convenience store to buy aspirin.

But all of this driving contributes to the environmental problems of our time. Auto exhaust is one factor involved in global warming, acid rain and polluted air.

The exhaust fumes contain carbon dioxide. This is one of the gases in the air that traps heat thereby leading to global warming. Burning gasoline also produces nitrous oxide, which is a major component of acid rain.

And when all of the hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides are exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, ground level ozone forms resulting in dirty air.

Through various disposal systems, used fluids, such as brake fluid, transmission fluid and anti-freeze have penetrated our water systems causing water pollution. The accidental oil spills during which barrels of oil are dumped into the sea also contribute to water pollution.

In spite of these problems, America remains “a nation on wheels” and is so known throughout the world. And the environmentalists efforts to take Americans out of their vehicles might be as useless as “putting Humpty Dumpty together again.”

However, sky rocketing fuel prices might make the American auto world greener as people begin to downsize in earnest. Over the years, Americans have developed a love for large powerful automobiles that are ‘gas hogs.’ But with the escalating price of gasoline, people seem to be more willing to embrace smaller, more energy efficient vehicles.

Another solution gaining more momentum is alternate fuel. Electric cars have been around for quite a while but they have never been taken seriously. Now the electric powered Smart Car can be seen on the streets of Manhattan. And an English manufacturer, Tesla Motors, is starting to market an all-electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster.

But perhaps the most avant-garde of all is the hybrid car/motorcycle such as the Monotracer, a recent brainchild of Peraves of Switzerland. Although the latter does burn fuel, due to the light weight, the fuel consumption is minimal.

A major concern with launching these small, lightweight vehicles on the road is safety. Traditionally, passengers in larger vehicles fared better in collisions than those in smaller vehicles. However, manufacturers are eliminating these dangers by air bags, and cell like enclosures designed to protect the occupants.

But if all the vehicles on the road were small vehicles, the safety problem of collisions between the large and the small would be eliminated. Will this ever happen?

With the rising level of automobile production and its corresponding worldwide stocks based on the rapid industrialisation in Asia, Africa and Latin America plus the rising demand in Eastern Europe, the proportion of textiles in a motor car is increasing in response to more stringent comfort and safety needs in industrialised countries like the USA, Japan and Western Europe.

Automobile textiles, which are non apparel textiles, are widely used in vehicles like cars, trains, buses, aircrafts and marine vehicles. Hence, the term automobile textile means all type of textile components e.g. fibers, filaments, yarns and the fabric used in automobiles.

Nearly two third of the automobile textiles are for interior trim, i.e. seat cover, carpets and roof and door liners. The rest is utilized to reinforce tyres, hoses, safety belts, air bags, etc.

It is projected that nearly 45 square meters of textile material is utilized in a car for interior trim (seating area, headlines, side panel, carpet and trunk). According to a survey, the percentage of textile in a motor car amounts to 2 per cent of the overall weight of a car. Apart from this, visible textile components, eliminating hidden components such as in tyres and composites, hoses and filters; amount to 10-11 kg per vehicle in absolute terms. Industrial textiles are largely utilized in vehicles and systems including cars, buses, trains, air crafts and marine vehicles. In automobile textile industry, four types of fabrics are used, namely:

. Air bag fabrics

. Fabric used as a basis for reduction in weight of body parts

. Tyre cord fabrics

. Automotive upholstery and other textile fabrics used inside the vehicle

The airbag and seat belts used as safety measures are one of the latest types of textiles in automobiles and have a potential market for technical textiles that has a considerable scope for growth and development. Because of government legislation and consumer interest, the applications have been extremely successful over the last ten to fifteen years.

In the last decade, airbags or inflatable restraints have received noteworthy significance as a safeguard for the driver and the passengers in case of an accident. Initially, the bags were made for head-on collision, but now, there are many other safety devices like side impact bags, knee bolsters, side curtain, etc, available for safety in any type of crash. Because frontal collisions are a main reason of accidental deaths, airbags are being presented as a standard product in vehicles by legislation, which has given the quick increment of airbags business in the last decade. NHTSA and HHS report that airbag systems have played an important role in saving thousands of lives since 1985. In 2002 alone, due to the airbag system a 20 per cent reduction in fatalities resulting from fatal collisions has been observed.

In 1999, there were 55 million vehicles with 81 million airbags. In 2004, the number of frontal airbag units was nearly 100 million and the number of side-impact airbags nearly 65 million. In the same year, nearly 23 per cent of the new vehicles in North America had side airbags for chest protection and 17 per cent had side airbags for head protection. By 2005, this has increased to 180 million airbags and 65 million vehicles.

Fabric application demand has increased to 325 million square meters in 2005, and 83 tons of fibre, mostly nylon has been used.

The world airbag market is estimated to rise from 66 million units in 1996 to over 200 million units in 2006, a compound annual growth rate of 12 per cent. Over this decade, Europe will put in 60 million units, Asia-Pacific 30 million units and North America 24 million units.

While North American and Western European markets are growing, considerable development is also seen in the international market. As new applications are developing for airbags, including rear seat bags, inflatable seat belts and an outside airbag system for pedestrians, new fabrics and combinations are being applied. The front and passenger bags have different requirements because of the distance from the occupant, but they both have rapid increment and deflation in a very short time span.

Rollover bags must remain inflated for five seconds. In addition to new uses, expected trends include lighter fabric for use with newer “cold inflators,” blended with materials like fabric and film, new coating polymers (Silicone now dominates having replaced neoprene).

Growth of safety devices in the car interior

Increasing electronics and safety devices require more space in the interior together with new concepts for arrangement.

Worldwide market for PA airbag yarns

The fibre manufacturer Accordis Industrial Fibres BV, Arnhem/ Netherlands reported that the global market for PA airbag was 84,000 tons in 2005.

Airbags

Airbags were first introduced in the late 1960s, but it is only in the 1990s that their use increased amazingly and it is set to grow further. This validates the research and development still being made on design, deployment and base fabric material. Read the rest of this entry »

There have been some very grim headlines from automotive industry news feeds for about 2 years now, since the beginning of the 21st century recession. The auto industry was one of the hardest hit markets to fall victim to the economic slump, but it looks as though this downturn is now looking up. Analysts in the auto market have been forecasting positive recovery for the year to come. Companies who have been keeping their focus on the future, beyond the recession, will most likely be the first companies to jump start their recovery.

A double whammy recession for the auto industry is not likely, according to analysts. On the contrary, they predict. Good things are to come to auto makers and retailers this year. Many car makers are putting back in place some of the jobs they cut due to the recession. Although some companies are reluctant to do such a thing because they still have not healed from the recession, you will find a surprising number of companies that are reinstating jobs that were lost.

Some of these reluctant manufacturers have barely made it through the recession and still bare the battle scars. It will take some absolute numbers for them to recover. Their logic makes sense. They want to be able to hold on to new employees once they are hired. Just like consumers, these types of companies just need some confidence that the economy is really back on the road to recovery.

Stock piled supplies are not as large as they used to be in retail car shops or manufacturer warehouses. Although you will not see an overly loaded car dealership, you will see new models coming in for the bright predictions of recovery, just not in the quantity we are used to seeing. The economy is sending signals that we should get ready for a recovery, but it will still take some more time to encourage both the consumer and the retailer to spend on new cars.

Auto industry specialists gathered to come up with innovative ideas to move the car market forward. Most companies are moving forward but with extreme care. They are being encouraged to take the lead and stimulate the economy for further gain. After nearly two years of abiding to strict budgets, consumers are now ready to splurge on a big ticket item such as a car, and dealers are being encouraged to take advantage of this big spending nostalgia.

It is precisely due to this reason that after the recessions of both the 80?s and 90?s one of the first places on the market to recover was the auto industry. Experts are hopeful this will happen now as well. When people see positive signs of an economic recovery the chances of them buy a car increases.

Finally, some good automotive industry news! A positive forecast is much needed for this market. But wait. There may be a downside for you as a consumer. A car that you will purchase this year could cost you a little more than it would have if you had bought it last year at this time. After several months in a recession car makers really want to see profits rise. One way to see them rise is to charge you more. Although not all car makers are raising prices it would be wise to do your homework before you go out and buy a new car.